The Gift
by capm
Summary: The spies face one of their toughest adversaries yet, and at Christmas no less! But one gift really ends up making their Christmas.
1. Chapter 1 Christmas Shopping

**Chapter One – Christmas Shopping**

"How do you think my Mom would like this?" asks Alex, as she holds up a cardigan gray sweater.

"I think she'd love it, Alex!" responds Sam.

"I know she needs one, so I hope she'll like it."

"I wish I knew what to get MY Mom or Dad!" exclaims a frustrated Clover. "They are sooooo hard to buy gifts for, at Christmas!"

"You can always get them gift certificates, Clover! That's what I do for my Dad, at House Station. He's always looking for tools or is working on some project at home, so he really appreciates it! I know I'm not good at choosing the tools he wants!" responds Sam.

"Great idea, Sam! My Dad is the same way, but he likes to shop at Highs! Now what about my Mom?" asks Clover.

"Doesn't she like to shop at Emcees, the clothing store? Why not a gift certificate from them?"

"Rad idea! I'm going to do it!"

After doing a bit more shopping, the gals take a latte break at the Mall food court.

"What do we get Jerry?" asks Alex.

"Let's think about that! Right now, I haven't a clue!" responds Sam.

"Nor I!" adds Clover.

The gals continue their latte break, watching the holiday shoppers.

"By the way, gals, are we going to decorate the outside of our villa this year?" asks Alex.

"Good question, Alex! Maybe we should just settle for a tree and inside decorations, seeing this villa is temporary until our parents return from their European vacation," responds Sam.

"You're right, guys! But should we get a live tree or an artificial one?" asks Alex.

"I vote for live!" responds Clover.

"I second!" adds Sam.

"Sounds great! We can borrow some of the ornaments and tinsel from our own homes to decorate it!"

"Great idea, Alex! We've pretty much finished all of our Christmas Shopping here! Let's get our tree!" says Clover. The gals finally decide on a gift for Jerry, and that was the last item purchased at the Mall, before they left to shop for their tree.

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, a plan is being executed.

"Ready for the takeover!" says a technician.

"Excellent! Proceed!" says a mystery boss.

As the technician throws a switch, all of the electricity in the Southwestern USA inexplicably ceases. It is restored after about 10 seconds.

"We have achieved control, Saldo."

"Excellent! All the people of the Southwest USA will think of this as a 'temporary' outage! Continue with the remaining power grids!"

"Yes, sir!"

The technicians in the hideaway proceed to take over the entire power grid of the USA in the next week. As far as the power companies know, it was only a temporary brown out, for the 10 seconds needed. That is, until December 21.

On that fateful day, all television and radio satellite transmissions are truncated for a special announcement at 9 PM Eastern Time.

The broadcast starts by showing an executive chair, silhouetted against a gray background. No lighting is being used, so all the viewer sees is a shadow. The 'executive' then begins.

"People of the United States! I am known as Saldo, and I have total control of the power grid of the USA. I demand that all the gold bullion in Fort Knox be loaded onto a barge, the barge anchored at a spot of my designation in the Atlantic Ocean, and that no tracers or tracker vehicles follow it! If my demands are not met I will shut off the power throughout the country until my demands are met!"

People in their homes start to laugh! "It's another 'War of the Worlds' hoax!" they think. They are just about to ignore the transmission, when Saldo continues.

"To prove what I say is true, I will turn off all the electrical power in the USA for the next five minutes!"

And Saldo proceeds to do what he says. All electrical power throughout the USA goes down. Only those businesses with emergency generators still have power. The switchboard of every electrical utility in the USA lights up like a Christmas tree with people reporting power outages! After five minutes, Saldo, turns on the power and continues his telecast.

"This outage was proof that I can do what I say! You have 24 hours to surrender the Fort Knox bullion, or I will turn the power off until my demands are met!"

With that, Saldo signs off.

Needless to say, Jerry immediately WOOHPs the gals from their Christmas tree shopping!

"Whooooaaa!"

"Welcome, ladies! I think you know why you are here?"

"I'm guessing it has to do with this Saldo looney!" remarks Clover, as she picks herself off of the sofa arm, so she can sit more comfortably.

"Right you are, Clover!"

"Jerry," Sam starts as she gets off of her back and sits in the sofa, "was WOOHP able to detect the source of the transmission?"

"Yes and no, Sam! Saldo was able to pirate legitimate broadcast satellites to perform his transmission. So we really don't know where he truly broadcast from."

"So where do we start, Jerry?" asks Alex, as she picks herself off the floor to sit in the sofa.

"You start at Fort Knox! I want you to guard the barge and stow away on it! You'll use your Spies jet to get there and the following gadgets: laser lipsticks; tracker hair barrettes; voice activated cycles for ground transportation; drill-jet-suction combo go-go boots; necklace lights; and x-ray m-ray combo contacts."

"Won't the hair barrettes be detected by Saldo?" asks Sam.

"Only if you activate them, Sam. So don't activate them until you are at Saldo's hideout!"

"Right, Jerry!"

"Come on, gals! To the jet!" remarks Clover.

"Right behind you!" responds Alex.


	2. Cahpter 2 The Trap

**Chapter Two – The Trap**

Soon the gals are in Kentucky. Sam has landed the plane at the airport, and the gals cycle over to Fort Knox. The girls are talking to the head of Fort Knox, General Phelps.

"Are you really going to load the gold bullion on a barge, General?" asks Clover.

"No! We'll use some Iron Pyrite bricks and load them instead! Can't tell the difference between that and real gold, unless your up close! We'll see if we can trick Saldo into giving his position away!"

Fort Knox loads five semi trailers with the iron pyrite bricks. They then convoy the bricks to the Port of Charleston where they are transferred to a barge. The convoy was heavily defended, so as not to give the plan away. The barge will then be taken by ocean tugboat, again in a heavily defended convoy, to the coordinates Saldo demanded.

The gals accompany the truck convoy to the port.

"So far so good," remarks Sam cautiously.

"Do you think Saldo is watching?" asks Alex.

"I wouldn't be surprised, Alex! But I wonder how he expects to grab a huge barge without being seen!"

"Maybe he's a magician!" remarks Clover, off-handedly.

"He needs to be a pretty good one, to pull that off!" responds Sam.

"Maybe Saldo is really the Great Kandinski!" adds Alex. Clover and Sam shudder at the thought of having to deal with HIM again!

At the port, the semis are emptied onto the barge. The gals quietly also get on the barge and hide below deck in a forward hold.

"Ok, gals! This is it! Remember, keep your barrettes turned off until we get to Saldo's hideout!" says Sam quietly, as the tug starts to take the bullion barge out to the designated spot.

"Gotcha, Sammy!" replies Alex, as Clover nods in agreement.

But Saldo is no fool. He watches from a distance as the barge is anchored at the spot he designated.

"Run the sonar scan! Any submarines or other boats in the area?"

"No, sir!" replies a technician.

"Run the radar scan! Any aircraft?"

"None!"

"Now run the radio frequency tracker. Any tracking devices?"

"No, sir!"

"Excellent! Now focus the spectrum analyzer on the bullion! Is it really gold?"

A technician studies the analyzer results and responds, "No sir! The bricks are made of iron pyrites!"

Saldo turns away in disgust. "Did the fools really think I'd be so unsophisticated as to fall for that?"

Turning to another technician, Saldo asks, "How long before the 24 hours are up?"

"Another 2 hours and 33 minutes, sir!"

"At that time, we will broadcast again! Norshman!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Train the torpedo tubes of our submarine on our barge of fake gold! I want to show them how we deal with double crosses on our transmission!"

"Yes, sir!" and Norshman moves the submarine into firing position on the barge, waiting for Saldo's command.

Back on the barge, the gals are getting antsy.

"We've been waiting here for over an hour, Sam. Do you think something went wrong?" asks Clover anxiously.

"They're probably waiting for it to get pitch black dark before they make their move!" responds Sam.

"Well, it's pretty black outside right now!" exclaims Alex.

As the time turns to 9 PM Eastern Time, Saldo again pirates all radio and television transmissions.

"People of the United States. I told you what I would do if my demands for all the gold bullion were not met yesterday. Look at this picture!" A picture of the barge is shown, enhanced on a targeting screen.

Saldo continues, "Your government took me for a fool and sent out a barge of iron pyrite bricks on a barge. This is what I think of that ploy!" With that Saldo signals Norshman, who fires two torpedoes at the barge. After a few seconds, the barge explodes in all directions!

Saldo drones on, "And now I will turn off all the electricity until my demands are met!"

With that, Saldo ends his transmission, and turns off the electricity.

The country is in a panic! This brown out isn't just lasting for five minutes! The Utility companies are frantically trying to restore power, but to no avail! People in the cold Northern USA try to get to a building with emergency power, so they do not freeze to death! Hospitals are overcrowded with people without power, as are any other buildings that have emergency generators.

An emergency session of Congress is convened, and they reluctantly agree to surrender the gold bullion. Orders are flown from Washington to Fort Knox ordering them to load the real bullion onto semis trailers, and another set of orders are sent to Charleston for another barge.


	3. Chapter 3 Flotsam and Jetsam

**Chapter 3 – Flotsam and Jetsam**

Back at the remnants of the barge, the gals were fortunate that they took their position in a forward hold. The torpedoes were aimed at the middle of the barge, blowing it to small fragments, but the forward and aft holds were blown away from the center. Of course, the gals aren't out of trouble yet. Their compartment is filling with water, and they are still stunned from the explosion!

The cold water of the Atlantic revives Alex first. "Wha….What happened?" She asks as she rubs her head. Alex activates her necklace light and quickly looks around for Clover and Sam.

"Sammy!" she cries, as she sees Sam, semi-conscious about to go underwater! Quickly, Alex activates her WOOHP distress button as she swims the cold water to Sam. She grabs Sam just before she goes under and pushes her onto some floating flotsam. She activates Sam's necklace light so she can see her in the dark hold.

Alex now looks around for Clover. As she scans the hold, she sees a red arm sticking up from the water, barely hanging on to some floating debris. Alex quickly swims over and grabs Clover. Alex pushes Clover onto some flotsam as well, but she notices that Clover is not breathing.

"Come on, Clover! Don't die!" says Alex as she starts mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

As Alex is in this process, Sam comes to. "My head!" says Sam as she rubs a bump. As she scans the hold, she sees Alex frantically trying to revive Clover. She quickly gets into the water and swims over to her two girlfriends.

Alex is in tears as she continues her revival efforts. "Come on, girlfriend! You just CAN'T die!" she says as she again puts her mouth to Clover's. Sam comes over and starts to pump Clover's chest, after Alex clears Clover's mouth of water again. Alex looks gratefully at Sam.

"(cough)…(cough) wha….what happened?" remarks Clover weakly, after what seemed like forever.

"YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE ALIVE!" cries Alex as she hugs Clover enthusiastically.

Sam also hugs Clover and says, "THANK YOU, GOD! I think we can take it from here!"

Soon the gals are surrounded by WOOHP divers, who responded to their distress signal. They are quickly ushered out of the hold and are being airlifted onto Jerry's jet. Within minutes the girls are bundled in warm blankets on Jerry's hover jet and on their way home.

"I'm so relieved that you girls are all right!" remarks Jerry, as he gives each a long, relieved hug. Sam and Clover are still a bit woozy from their ordeal and are taken to be treated by the WOOHP medical team for their injuries in the medical section of Jerry's jet, at the aft end.

"Thanks, Jerry! But what happened?" asks Alex.

"When Saldo determined that the bullion was iron pyrite instead of gold, he used some torpedoes and blew up the barge! How EVER did you escape?"

"I guess we were lucky in that we took refuge in a forward hold of the barge. We must have been blown clear from the wreckage!"

"I have a copy of the transmission of Saldo blowing up the barge; I'll study it! Meanwhile, rest Alex," says Jerry as he walks away from her seat.

But Alex wants to see how her two best friends are doing. So she gets up and walks back to the medical section. "How are they?" Alex asks a doctor.

"They're going to be fine! Sam was fortunate that all she has is a bump on the head. Clover is also fortunate that you started the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when you did, or she might not be with us now!"

Alex has tears in her eyes as she realizes she came close to losing her two best friends. "Can I see them?"

"Certainly, Alex!" responds the doctor. "I think they would like to see you too!"

Quietly Alex walks back to Clover and Sam's bunks. Both are half asleep. Sam is the first to see Alex coming.

"ALEX!" Sam exclaims.

Alex walks over to her girlfriend and gives her a hug. "How are you Sammy?"

"Fine, thanks to you!"

Alex is a little confused. She knows she put Sam on the floating flotsam, but Sam was semi-conscious. How would Sam know she did that?"

Sam seems to be able to read her mind, as she hugs Alex warmly again. "I figured you put me on that floating debris, because someone had to activate my necklace light, and I know I didn't do it!"

Alex smiles and hugs Sam warmly, "Friend forever, remember? And thanks for helping me with Clover!"

Then with a tear running down her cheek, Alex adds, "We almost lost her!"

Sam replies, with a tear in her eyes, "I know, Alex! If you hadn't fished her out of the water, and started the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when you did, we would have!"

All of the sudden, a figure looms next to Alex and Sam.

Clover gives Alex a big warm hug. "Thank you, Alex!" she says as she tries to express her gratitude, but all she can think of is "Thank you!"

Clover then turns to Sam and gives her a big warm hug as well. "Thank you, Sam!"

Alex and Sam simultaneously hug Clover.

"Our team would be pretty empty without you, Clover!" says Sam through her tears.

"After all Clover, friends forever, right?" adds Alex through her tears.

The medical officer is happy to see that the gals are doing well, but he wants Clover and Sam to rest. "Okay, girls, visiting hours are over! You need rest! Back to your bunk, Clover!" he orders jovially.

The gals smile. Clover turns to the officer with a grin and says, "Yes, sir!" salutes and goes straight to her bunk.

Alex tucks Sam in her bunk, and Clover in hers. "Goodnight guys!" she says as she walks past the smiling medical officer.

The medical officer says, "By the way, young lady, that goes for you too! You need rest also!"

Alex smiles, snaps to attention, salutes, and says, "Right away, sir!"

"Then get to it!" he shoos. Alex happily goes to her seat, knowing her friends are all right.


	4. Chapter 4 Ransom

**Chapter 4 – Ransom**

The gals are fully recovered after two days and are released from the WOOHP infirmary. They find the electricity off everywhere they go in town. Instinctively, they return back to WOOHP, which has a power generator.

Jerry is surprised to see them.

"Ladies? I don't recall WOOHPing you! You should be resting after your ordeal!"

"What about that Saldo creep?" asks Clover.

"Well, I was about to assign another team…."

"You better not!" remarks Alex.

"We have a score to settle with that jerk!" adds Sam.

"But I don't think you ladies are up to ….."

"I am!" says Clover with gusto.

"Me too!" adds Sam.

"I've never been better!" says Alex.

"So let's get started, Jerry!" says Sam, with determination.

Jerry can see that there is no use in refusing. The ladies are on a mission (no pun intended), and this one is personal!

"Very well, ladies," continues Jerry as the gals take their seats on the sofa.

"First, let me show you how you survived the blast from the first barge." Jerry begins a tape of the destruction of the barge.

"As you can see, the torpedo blast split the barge in the middle. The fore and aft hulls were blown clear from the explosion. Luckily the forward hull still retained enough structural integrity to float somewhat. If you hadn't alerted us with your WOOHP distress signal when you did, the hull you were in would have sunk within ten minutes, as you can see."

The gals watch silently as their metal tomb slowly sinks into the Atlantic. The gals all turn a shade of pale, now realizing just how close they came to dying. Jerry waits quietly for a few minutes, as he studies their faces.

Clover breaks the silence. "Has the USA turned over the bullion, Jer?" she asks quietly.

"They have put the bullion in a truck convoy, which is now 200 miles out of the Port of Charleston," Jerry remarks.

"Then you'd better get us on a fast jet so we can be on that barge!" remarks Sam.

Jerry sighs. He provides the gals with the same gadgets as before and let's them use a rocket assisted WOOHP jet.

Just before they leave, Jerry says, "I'm still not comfortable letting you three go on this mission! I'm still not sure you have had enough time to recuperate!"

All three gals give Jerry a group hug.

"It's our job, Jerry!" remarks Sam.

"Remember?" adds Clover.

"This is what we do!" concludes Alex.

Jerry accepts they're response as he returns the hugs. "Very well! Good luck, spies!"

Soon the spies are in Charleston. They use their voice cycles to get to the dock. This time they board the barge without anyone's knowledge.

"This is it, gals!" says Sam in a whisper.

"We'll get that jerk, Saldo, this time!" adds Clover.

"Let's just make sure we wait in the forward hold again," says Alex anxiously. Clover and Sam smile and nod their approval.

The past few days have been nerve racking for the President of the USA. Nothing can be done by the utility companies to restore the electricity. It has caused major problems especially in the North, being winter. He then gave the order to deliver the bullion, approving Congress' action. The President knows that the US spy satellites can watch the barge from above, so he's not too worried.

However, Saldo also knows that the satellites can follow the barge as well – above water. That's why he intends to take it below water to his hideout.

The barge is anchored again at the designated spot. Again, Saldo does his sonar, radar, radio frequency, and spectrum analyzer scans. This time, the spectrum analyzer shows the bricks to be gold. Saldo waits until midnight. From below, he sends a large submarine, which swallows the barge! He then turns on the electricity fifteen minutes later.

As soon as the electricity is restored, the President places a call to the CIA.

"Saldo has turned the electricity back on! Now, how is the tracking of the barge going?"

"Mr. President…..we have lost contact with the barge! It appears that it was sunk!"

"That's fine! We can always recover the gold with our submersible craft! We know the coordinates!"

"Yes, sir!"

The President then gets off the phone with the CIA and contacts the Navy.

"Admiral? Send out a recovery team to the barge coordinates immediately so we can begin to recover the gold!"

"Right away, Mr. President!"

The President is in for a rude awakening when he finds out that the barge WASN'T sunk! The gold is gone, and the USA doesn't know where!


	5. Chapter 5 A Little More Than He Bargain...

**Chapter 5 – A Little More Than He Bargained For….**

Back on the barge the gals feel it move from it's anchorage.

"Sam! Use the contacts! What's happening?" asks Clover.

"We've been swallowed up by a large submarine! It looks like we are on the way to meet Saldo!" replies Sam.

"Should I activate my tracking barrette?" asks Alex.

"Not yet! Saldo is probably still scanning for a tracking device! He could sink us again! Wait until we end up at his hideout!" replies Sam.

"Gotcha, Sammy!" responds Alex.

The remainder of the ride is uneventful. The sub travels for about one hour, until it surfaces in an underground lake. After surfacing, the maw of the sub is opened and a crane lifts the barge out and puts it on a pier.

"I think we're here!" says Clover.

"Let's see if we can sneak out of this barge and have a look around!" suggests Sam.

The girls quietly sneak out of the barge. The pier is well lit, so the girls try to stay in the shadows as they exit.

Away from the gals, two pier workers walk toward the barge.

"Saldo should be pleased!" remarks a pier worker.

"He will be!" responds another.

"When do we start moving the gold?"

"No rush! No one knows where we are! All we have to do is make sure that the barge bricks are all gold. If they are, no problem!"

The pier workers begin their inspection of the precious cargo just as the spies begin their inspection of the hideout.

"With all of this stone, I'm not sure if our tracking barrette signal could even penetrate outside!" remarks Sam.

"Then what do we do?" asks Alex.

"We need to find a way to the surface, so we can place one barrette. Then we can place another down here!"

"I get it! The first will lead WOOHP to the second!"

"Exactly!"

As the girls continue to sneak around the facility, looking for a way to get to the surface, a security camera catches a fleeting glance of them.

The guard monitoring the camera turns on an alarm. The PA system blares, "Security breach in section 17! Code 39!! Code 39!!"

The gals here the intercom, and quickly look for a place to hide. They spot an open door and make a beeline for it.

"We're in luck! Let's make for that door!" cries Alex.

"Right! This place will be wall-to-wall guards pretty soon!" responds Clover, as the three run through the open door. They just have time to realize their mistake as they begin to black out from the knockout gas that was fired at them by the waiting guards. The intercom blares, "Intruders captured! All clear!"

The gals wake up in a very uncomfortable position. They are shackled to a stone wall by the arms, with their feet just barely touching the ground. There are four armed guards in this room. As they awake, one of the guards leaves through the only door.

"My bad!" whispers Alex, as she refers to her suggestion of the door. Alex is shackled between Clover on her right, and Sam on her left.

"No biggie, Alex! We didn't have much choice!" whispers Sam back to her.

"How do we get out of here?" whispers Clover.

"You don't!" booms a voice, as the door opens. The girls were unaware that there are microphones planted within the wall, to monitor their speech. Obviously everything they have said has been heard by someone.

That someone walks into the room. He is a man in his early 60's, bald, and about as tall as Alex. He has a couch potato body, and thick eyeglasses. He is wearing a navy blue business suit and white shirt, but without a tie.

"Who are YOU?" asks Clover.

"Let ME guess! Saldo!" comments Sam.

"Right you are, young lady! I am the criminal genius, Saldo!"

"We've heard THAT one before!" whispers Alex, forgetting that Saldo can plainly hear every word.

"Maybe you have! But I am the embodiment of the criminal genius! I was able to steal a barge full of gold bullion without outside detection, save you three. I assume you stowed away on the barge! You'll find your backpacks are gone, although I saw nothing helpful in them. Except for this!" says Saldo, as he brings forth an x-communicator. He and two guards begin walking toward the spies.

"Quite clever! It appears to be some sort of walkie-talkie!"

"Well, actually, it's just a compact that plays music! We like techno thingies!" responds Clover.

But as Saldo gets close, Clover remembers the gals' near death experience in the first barge. In anger, she unleashes a frontal kick right into Saldo's solar plexus! Saldo doubles over, as a guard quickly punches Clover hard on the left side of her face! She lets out a cry of pain, as her body drops limply, hanging by her arms.

"CLOVER?" cries Sam and Alex together. Both are seething with rage. But Saldo can see that as well. He recovers from his kick, and continues his talk with the conscious two members of the spies a good ten feet from them.

"For that insult, your friend shall die, as will you two!" Saldo says angrily.

"Seeing we are going to die, tell us, what do you plan to do with the gold?" asks Alex.

Saldo begins to grin at her curiosity. "Curiosity killed the cat, they say! I have a foolproof plan to sell the bullion. I will become the richest man on earth!"

"No way!" responds Sam, as Clover begins to come to, from her punch.

"Yes! And you will witness it first hand! Guards! Bring them to the plan execution area!"

With that Saldo leaves. The remaining guards don gas masks and douse the gals with knockout gas again.


	6. Chapter 6 Those Gals Are Hot!

**Chapter 6 – Those Three Gals Are Hot!**

The spies wake up sitting inside a large metal pot. Their hands are shackled, and they cannot see outside of this metal cup, even as they stand.

"Where are we?" asks Alex.

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out!" responds Sam.

"Are you okay, Clover?" asks Alex.

"Yeah! I've got a nast headache, but otherwise I'm okay!"

"Let's get out of this thing," says Sam.

Slowly the gals each deploy a lockpick they hide in the cuff of their jumpsuit sleeves. They don't want to attract any attention, in case they are being monitored by camera. On their first body movement to stand, Saldo's voice blares out over the intercom.

"I see you have awakened, my beautiful dreamers!" Saldo begins.

"Not funny, much?" says Alex under her breath.

"You, no doubt, wonder where you are?"

"The thought DID cross my mind!" responds Sam, as the gals huddle back-to-back. They should be able to pick the locks on each other's shackles, as Saldo explains how he'll eliminate them.

The pot they are in begins to rise, as Saldo continues. "You have started on your final journey! You are sitting in the crucible, in which I plan to melt the gold bullion bricks! I will first ensure that my furnace is hot enough to melt the gold, by melting you!"

As they start moving forward, the gals have finished picking the shackle locks. The shackles fall to the floor of the crucible.

"So? You have been able to free yourselves from the shackles! It will do you no good! You are now thirty feet above the floor! If you try to jump out of the crucible, you'll die from the fall!"

"How is melting the gold going to help you?" asks Sam, as she and the gals use the suction part of their go-go boots to get up to the lip of the crucible. She wants details of the plan, in case there is another part of this operation that needs to be suppressed.

"I will pour the molten gold into ingots. I will sell the ingots on the black market just under market price, and amass my fortune! I already have buyers lined up, for my ingots!

"I see that you have reached the crucible lip, but now you can see that it did you no good!"

"Actually, Saldo, we're FULL of surprises!" says Clover, as all three gals now activate the jet part of their boots, flying off the crucible lip!

"GUARDS! SHOOT THEM DOWN!" cries Saldo, over the intercom.

Immediately the guards open fire on the flying spies. Quickly the gals split up.

Clover flies around the crucible, and then comes down on some guards who are trying to shoot Alex. She plows into the unsuspecting guards, jarring the rifles from their hands.

"Thanks, girlfriend!" says Alex to Clover. Clover makes a quick 180-degree turn and heads back towards the guards. She lands and lashes out with an assortment of kicks and punches, subduing the guards.

Alex, now free of the gunfire, flies at floor level, until she sees the guards trying to shoot Sam. Alex flies into them, knocking them down, like bowling pins!

"STRIKE!" Sam says enthusiastically, as she comes down to help Alex. Clover also joins in.

The guards are being attacked from three sides, and don't know who to attack first. Sam nails one guard with a frontal kick and two more with handstand whirling kicks. Alex uses her blender kick to incapacitate two guards and a roundhouse kick to nail a third. Clover sees a guard has recovered his rifle, but before he can aim it, she activates her boots and nails him hard, knocking him out.

But the gals see more guards entering the area. They quickly fly up into the dark rafters and toward a set of stairs that the reinforcements just came through. They quickly go through the door, and look for any open room they can find. They see an opening to their right, and fly through it.

The guards were going to try the same trap as before, baiting the gals with an open door. They were not prepared for their fast entrance, however, and missed all three with their knockout gas. The gals fly right into them, knocking the breath out of them.

"Thanks!" says Sam as she relieves one of the guards of his gas mask.

"Don't mind if I do!" says Clover as she does the same.

"How sweet!" exclaims Alex as she does likewise.

Without their gas masks, it is the guards, not the spies that fall victim to the knockout gas! Finally, the gals can catch their breath, as they turn off their jet boots.

"Phew! That was close!" exclaims Sam.

"That wasn't even a close shave! It was a full body wax!" adds Clover.

"What now?" asks Alex.

"Let's use our lockpicks to get into the air vent! That should keep us away from Saldo's cameras!" suggests Sam.

"Great idea, Sam!" responds Clover as she pops the air vent cover off. Soon all three gals are in the vent, and Alex replaces the cover.

"We better keep these gas masks on! It will keep us from sneezing because of the dust in the vents," says Sam.

"Right, Sammy!" adds Alex, as the three slowly crawl through the vents.

Meanwhile, Saldo has gone into his lair. He walks over a technician.

"I must punish the United States for allowing stowaways on the gold barge! Turn off the electricity! I must then broadcast!"

The technician quickly turns off all electricity again.

In the USA, everything electric stops working. Once again, only buildings with power generators have electricity, and the people start to go to those buildings again.

The President is upset. "What more does that Saldo want? He's got the gold!" he exclaims, as he is unaware of the gals' stowing away. He gets his answer over the television.


	7. Chapter 7 Punishment

**Chapter 7 – Punishment**

The gals continue to crawl in the air vents, and happen upon Saldo's Transmission Room.

"This looks interesting!" says Sam, as she is about to pop the vent cover off.

"Wait, Sammy!" exclaims Alex as she grabs her hand. "Look!"

Alex points at Saldo and some technicians entering the room.

"Thanks, Alex! I almost gave our hiding place away!" Sam says in relief.

"Let's see what that jerk is up to!" exclaims Clover.

Within minutes, a technician punches a button on a console, pirating all radio and television satellites. Saldo knows only those buildings with power generators will hear him, but he also assumes that the White House would be one of those buildings.

Saldo starts. "Once again the United States government takes me for a fool! They allowed three spies to stow away on the barge bearing the gold. Soon I will finish them off, but you can thank your elected officials for your indefinite loss of power!"

Satisfied that he will cause chaos in the USA, Saldo concludes his transmission.

"Now, where are my guards with the incapacitated spies? They should be here by now!"

An excited guard soon enters the room.

"Saldo! The spies have not been captured! They turned the tables on our guards, and the guards were the ones who were knocked out!"

A furious Saldo exclaims, "And where are those three pests?"

"We….we don't know. We cannot locate them on the security cameras!"

Saldo dismisses the guard in anger, and paces the Transmission Room. He then comments to a technician.

"As long as those girls are free, it isn't safe here! Who knows what other contraptions they have at their disposal? They could even signal the USA where we are! We can't hold off the Armed Forces of the United States! We must reload the gold back onto the submarine, and go to our safe haven!"

"But Saldo, we don't have the equipment there to melt the bullion! How will we sell it?"

"We'll have to sell the bricks, and our customers will have to do the melting. We'll only get half market value, but it's better than nothing!" Saldo then remarks to another technician, "Clark! Start reloading the bullion!"

"Yes, sir!" and he scurries off.

"We've got to find out how to restore the electricity!" whispers Clover.

"And we have to stop Saldo from escaping!" responds Sam quietly.

"I have an idea! I'll follow the vents until I find one that goes to the surface. I'll plant one of our hair barrettes at the surface, and another down here!" suggests Alex, in a whisper.

"Great idea, Alex! Here is my barrette! Clover and I will see what we can do here!" responds Sam.

Alex puts the second barrette in her hair, for safekeeping and goes off.

"Now let's follow Saldo in these vents! Maybe he'll lead us to the device he's using to control the electricity!" says Clover.

"Right!" exclaims Sam, as the two start moving in the opposite direction from Alex.

Back in the USA, the Presidential staff has determined that WOOHP placed the spies on the bullion barge. Jerry has been ordered to Washington, DC ASAP. He figures he's in for a severe reprimand, if not an outright firing. Jerry is required to act independently, as long as his actions pan out. But a scapegoat is needed for the turning off of the electricity, and it looks like it will be him.

Jerry resigns himself to being fired, and therefore decides to collect his personal belongings before he goes. One of the first things he runs across is the signed picture of the three spies with him. He sheds a tear, because he thinks that they are dead, and he holds himself responsible!

"I shouldn't have let them talk me into letting them go on this mission!" he thinks to himself. "Now they're gone, and it's all my fault!"

He thinks back to all the successful missions the gals have done for WOOHP. But more importantly, he thinks about his young charges as normal teens. They didn't even get a chance to finish high school! They didn't even really get a chance to live! They didn't experience the Senior Prom, or college, or finding that special someone, or married life or motherhood! His sadness deepens dramatically.

How can he face their parents? How can he explain everything to them? He at least owes the gals that much! He ponders this question, as he continues to slowly and sadly clean out his desk.

Clover and Sam parallel Saldo's movement in the vents.

Saldo enters his Control Room. "You technicians! Help load the submarine! I will set this control panel to lock! No one will be able to turn the electricity on!"

As the last technician leaves the Control Room, Saldo walks over to a switch encased in glass. But as he raises the hammer to break the glass, and set the Panel, Sam kicks open the air vent cover, and Clover activates the jet part of her go-go boots!

"What the….?" exclaims Saldo, as Clover slams into him!

"Not this time, creep!"

Saldo goes sailing through the air and lands by the door. He quickly gets up and scurries through it, just as Sam joins Clover.

"I'm going to nail that jerk….," vows Clover.

"Wait! If we can destroy this Control Panel, it should reactivate the electricity!" says Sam.

"But how? Saldo took our backpacks, remember?"

"Uh-huh! Look!" Sam points into the corner, and there are their three backpacks! Clover smiles at Sam, as they recover their backpacks, including Alex's. They place Alex's backpack, in plain view, in the Transmission Room, reasoning that she will probably return there first.

Alex has finally found the vertical shaft to the surface, as she can feel a cool breeze coming down. She activates the jet part of the go-go boots and rises to the surface. She places the barrette on the vent grill, and then slowly descends. As she reaches the cross vent, she places the second barrette and starts to crawl back to the Transmission Room vent.

Back at WOOHP, Jerry's desk cleaning is interrupted by a tracker beacon echo. The spies are ALIVE! Or at least one of them is! His summons to Washington will have to wait, not that it really will have any bearing on the expected outcome anyhow. He will mobilize WOOHP Security and follow that beacon! He owes it to the one spy who is still alive!

Clover and Sam take their laser lipsticks out of their backpacks.

"What say we get electric!" says Clover, as she activates her laser and starts carving up the Control Panel.

"You're a real live wire, Clover!" responds Sam as she also starts in on the Control Panel.

Within minutes, the spies have totally destroyed the Control Panel. With the mechanism needed to maintain the blackout in the USA destroyed, all electricity begins to flow again! Many people see this as an early Christmas Gift, in answer to their prayers.

After finishing the Control Panel, Sam says, "Now, let's get Saldo!"

"Shouldn't we wait for Alex?" asks Clover.

"She'll have to catch up! We can't afford to lose him! He still has the gold!"

Sam is correct. Saldo's minions are frantically loading the gold in the submarine, but it will only take another ten minutes!

Sam and Clover head toward the door. Cautiously, Clover unlocks the metal door and opens the door a crack, and the door is immediately inundated with gunfire from the awaiting guards! The gals quickly huddle away from the door, after relocking it.

"Can't get out that way!" says Sam.

"Well, let's take the same route we used to get in!" remarks Clover, as she points to the vent. Sam smiles and nods in approval.

The gals start crawling toward the pier, and see that Saldo has almost completed his operation! Only two more loads of bullion bricks, and he can escape! Quickly Clover kicks open the vent cover, and she and Sam activate the jet part of their go-go boots! They make a beeline toward the overhead crane operator! He doesn't see them coming until it is too late! Clover pounds the door open and Sam barrels into the unsuspecting operator, throwing him into the other door, knocking him out!

"What's going on? Why has the crane stopped?" screams Saldo. Then he notices Sam and Clover as they fly out of the crane control area!

"It's those pesky spies! Guards! Shoot them dead!" Saldo orders.

But Clover and Sam have other ideas. Again they split up. With some of the guards waiting for them to exit the Control Panel room, the number of attacking guards is less.

Clover and Sam do a crossing pattern in the air, amid the gunfire. The guards continue to follow them with their gunfire, until they get down to the level of two firing groups. The gals are at floor level, right behind the guards. Not wanting to shoot fellow guards, the firing momentarily stops. That is the pause the gals were looking for. Immediately they each aim right toward the guards in front of them, knocking most down, and jarring the rifles from their hands.

Clover turns off her boots and starts lashing out in kicks and punches. She nails one guard with a frontal kick, another with a side kick, and a third with a karate chop. Sam also turns her boots off, and is using handstand kicks, and side kicks on the guards, who are dropping like flies.

Saldo takes advantage of the commotion to make his way to the overhead crane control area. He starts the crane up and plans to drop the gold bullion bricks on Clover and Sam below! "This will finish those girls off for good!" he says, as he starts to bring the crane into position.

Saldo has forgotten one detail, however. And that detail is named Alex. She returned to the Transmission Room vent and saw her backpack. She quickly recovered it and re-entered the vent. She'll get to the pier area that way. As she gets to the vent kicked open by her friends, she evaluates the situation. Sam and Clover appear to have everything under control, but where is Saldo? Then she sees him in the overhead crane.

Alex activates the jet part of her go-go-boots and flies low, so Saldo doesn't see her coming. When she gets within ten feet of the door kicked open by Clover, she rises to the same level and flies straight in on Saldo!

Saldo was caught totally off guard! He has only been able to get the load of bricks over Sam, when Alex hits him. He rams into the closed door on the opposite side of the crane, and as he sinks to the floor, he hits the load release button!

Alex immediately flies out of the crane control area and races the falling load toward the unsuspecting Sam!

Clover screams, "SAM! LOOK OUT!"

Sam looks up and sees the rapidly descending load of bricks. She freezes for a split second. But Alex hits her from behind sending her about fifteen feet away from the impact area. The jarring action that started the rapid descent of the bullion toward Sam has jarred one of the top bricks to fly free. Alex is free of the falling load, but not the jarred brick! It catches her a hard glancing blow off the side of he head. Alex does not move.

"ALEX?" asks Sam as she rushes toward her friend.

"ALEX!" cries Clover as she rushes toward her friend too.

WOOHP has finally arrived and is rounding up the guards, and Saldo. Jerry looks for his spies and sees Clover and Sam by the unconscious Alex. He quickly runs toward the spies, with the WOOHP medical team right behind him.

Sam is crying as she cradles Alex in her arms. Clover is holding Sam and Alex, as she too cries.

Jerry arrives by the spies and immediately checks for a pulse for Alex.

"She needs medical assistance ASAP!" Jerry responds, and the WOOHP medical team tenderly takes Alex from the arms of her friends, and puts her on a stretcher.


	8. Chapter 8 The Gift

**Chapter 8 – The Gift**

The people of the United States are ecstatic! The electricity has been restored throughout the country, and just in time for Christmas!

The President and the rest of the United States government are happy too. The gold bullion has been returned, the electricity has been restored, and the criminals have been apprehended.

Jerry also receives a personal call from the President, on his return from Saldo's hideout.

"Hello, Jerry!"

"Mr. President! I know that I am late for my summons to meet with you, but I needed to respond on the Saldo situation in the field," Jerry begins.

"I understand, Jerry! Thanks to WOOHP and your field agents, the country is back to normal! Outstanding job, Jerry!"

"Well, Mr. President, the thanks belong to Clover, Sam and Alex. They did the actual tracing and takedown of Saldo. Without their work, our current situation would not have been possible!"

"I remember those gals, Jerry! They saved Madison from those kidnapers awhile back, as well as me from that invisible teen and from that crazy psychiatrist! You're lucky to have them!"

"Thank you, Mr. President! I know I am!" and the telephone call ends. But Jerry is thinking about Alex.

Alex is unconscious in Christ the King Hospital. She is in a single bed unit. There is a television hanging on the wall, a combination radio-call for assistance unit behind her bed, and because it is Christmas, a small Nativity scene on the dresser. There is a window that looks out onto the street, to the left of the bed, where happy Christmas shoppers can be seen scurrying to their destinations.

Her recovery does not look good. The doctors have told Jerry that if she doesn't snap out of her coma within the next 24-48 hours, she will die. Clover and Sam are spending every minute at her side. When he can get away from the responsibilities at WOOHP, Jerry also comes to visit.

"Dr. Malstaff, what is the probability of Alex recovering from her injury?" Jerry asks anxiously, pulling aside Alex's doctor out of sight from Clover and Sam.

"Jerry, I'll level with you, I would not give her any better chance than one in one hundred thousand. I won't tell her two friends that, but it does not look good," replies Dr. Malstaff sadly.

"I see," responds Jerry, as he wipes a tear from his eye.

Clover and Sam have been by Alex's bedside constantly. They slept in her room, in chairs, and continue their vigil on Christmas Eve. They only take a break to change clothes and eat, but one of them is always there.

Throughout the day on Christmas Eve, the gals wait, hoping and praying. It is closing in on midnight, and Dr. Malstaff decides that the girls must know the truth.

"Clover, Samantha may I have a word with you?" Dr. Malstaff asks.

"Sure, doctor," responds Clover.

"As long as we stay here in Alex's room," adds Sam quietly.

"Your dedication to your friend is heart warming, but I feel I must tell you the truth. Alex is dying."

Clover and Sam hold tissues quickly to their eyes, and their faces show the grief that they had been praying would not come to pass.

Dr. Malstaff continues sadly, "I am sorry, ladies. Every hour she remains in that coma, the closer she comes to death. Even now, if she were to snap out of the coma, there may be irreparable brain damage."

The gals look sadly at Alex, as tears start to stream down their faces.

Dr. Malstaff adds quietly, "I….I do not expect her to make it through the night. You probably should say your good byes to her now." Dr. Malstaff then sadly turns around and exits the room, so the gals can have some privacy. Not much of a Christmas Gift, he thinks sadly, but they had to know the truth!

Clover and Sam look at one another and then slowly walk to Alex's bedside, Clover on her left and Sam on her right.

Grasping her left hand, and giving her a hug, Clover says, "Good bye, girlfriend! I'm going to totally miss you! But I'll be here until the end!" Clover then sits down still grasping Alex's hand, and buries her face in the sheets of the bed, crying silently.

Sam is grasping Alex's right hand. She also gives her a hug and says, "We'll be right here for you, Alex, until it's over! Good bye, friend forever!" She also buries her head in the sheets on the bed and cries silently too, still holding Alex's hand.

As a distant church bell chimes the midnight hour, Sam and Clover tearfully glance up at the Nativity scene, and especially at the newborn Baby. They each offer a silent prayer, begging that Alex be spared.

As if in reply to their prayer, it appears that the star above the Nativity set is shining a little brighter. It must be a trick of the light, the gals think. But then…..

"Clover, Sammy, where am I?" a quiet voice asks tiredly from the bed.

The two girls quickly turn around, and Alex is looking at them with a quizzical look on her face.

"Why are you two crying?" Alex asks.

She is answered with hugs and tears from her two best friends.

"We were just worried about you!" exclaims Clover with a smile, grateful tears streaming down her face, as she embraces her friend.

"Why?" asks Alex, still not knowing how she got to where she is.

"We'll explain later, Alex!" exclaims Sam with a smile, through her tears, as she also continues to hug Alex.

As Clover and Sam hug Alex, they glance at the Nativity set. To them it appears that the baby Jesus is smiling a bit more at them then they remember before. They offer a sincere prayer of gratitude, in thanksgiving for their friend's life. Then it appears that the star above the set flickers brighter in acknowledgement of their thanks.

Within the hour, the room is abuzz with activity. The doctors and nurses on duty begin to run some quick checks on Alex to ensure she is out of immediate danger. Dr. Malstaff is called at home, and he arrives within the hour. He hurries into the room, where he sees a smiling Clover and Sam seated next to a wide awake, and apparently okay Alex. Clover and Sam smile at the doctor, as he enters.

"Hi, Dr. Malstaff. Why am I in this bed?" asks Alex.

The good doctor is shocked! He has never, in his 32 years of medicine seen anyone recover from a coma as deep as Alex's. He runs a few quick tests to satisfy himself that she is out of imminent danger.

"Alex, you may have forgotten, but after a visit to certain areas of the world, the government requires you to be quarantined for 24 hours!" he fibs nicely.

"Oh! I didn't know that!" replies Alex, with a blush of embarrassment on her face. She forgot to ask why Clover and Sam aren't in bed too, and Dr. Malstaff is extremely happy for that omission.

"But now, you need a good night's sleep! I plan to have some tests run on you tomorrow morning. If they pan out, you can probably leave by noon!"

"Thanks, Doctor! That'd be rad!"

As the doctor leaves the room, he motions to Sam and Clover to follow him, and they do.

"I think we have just witnessed a miracle! In all my years of medicine, I have never seen anyone recover from a deep coma such as hers!"

"It was a gift, Doctor!" explains Clover happily.

"Yes, a gift from the Baby Jesus!" adds Sam, with a big smile.

He looks at both of them, and smiles. "I believe it! Miracles still do happen!"

"Is it true you may release her tomorrow?" asks Clover hopefully.

"You mean today, don't you? Yes, I'll be in early on Christmas Day, and I will review the results of the tests I have scheduled the staff to run. If everything works out, Alex goes home!"

"Thank you, Doctor! It's the best Christmas gift we could have possibly asked for!" gushes Sam.

Doctor Malstaff smiles. "Oh, by the way! Merry Christmas ladies!" he says as he waves goodbye.

"Thanks, Doctor!" replies Clover happily.

"And to you also!" adds Sam happily, as they go back into Alex's room.

Alex is waiting for them and asks, "What did Dr. Malstaff want to talk to you about?"

"Oh, he was just asking us when would be a good time to come and take you home in the morning!" answers Clover.

"Yeah," responds Sam, picking up on Clover's theme, "we told him the sooner the better!"

"You guys are right! I don't want to stay here!" remarks Alex.

"Alex, it would be best if you try to get some sleep! Then you'll be ready when we come!" Clover says.

"I do feel a bit tired! And I have one WHALE of a headache!" responds Alex. "You guys are going to sleep at home, right?"

"Yes, Alex! We're going home so we can be ready to pick you up in the morning! Goodnight!" says Sam as she tucks Alex in on the right side of the bed.

"That's right, Alex. Goodnight!" adds Clover as she tucks Alex in on the left side of the bed.

Alex replies tiredly, "Goodnight, guys! See you in the morning!" Alex then closes her eyes, and within minutes is peacefully asleep. Clover and Sam wait until she falls asleep, before they leave.


	9. Chapter 9 Christmas Day

**Chapter 9 – Christmas Day**

On arriving home, Sam and Clover place a call to Jerry on their x-powders telling him the good news.

"…and Alex will be coming home in the morning?" Jerry asks excitedly.

"If all goes well, Jerry!" responds Sam.

"That is the BEST Christmas gift I've gotten! Ever! Thank you, girls! Merry Christmas!"

"Thanks, Jer! For us too! Merry Christmas!"

Dr. Malstaff is an early bird. By 8 AM he has checked Alex's test results. Everything is fine. He signs her release, as the staff call Clover and Sam to pick her up.

The gals almost fly to the hospital, and are there at 8:30 AM. They quickly go up to Alex's room, where she waits for them, in a wheel chair.

" ' Morning guys! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Alex! Ready to go?" asks Clover.

"I sure am! But they won't let me walk out! I have to be wheeled out in this wheel chair!" replies Alex in exasperation.

"That's right, young lady!" responds a nurse's aide who begins to wheel Alex toward the elevator. "We want you to leave in one piece! This wheel chair ensures us of that!"

"But I'm okay!" Alex begins to protest.

But Sam intervenes. "Just humor them, Alex! If it is hospital policy, they aren't going to change it for you!" Sam then smiles in a friendly manner to the aide, who returns the smile.

On the ground floor, Alex is wheeled to the hospital exit door. Clover gets the car, Alex is loaded in, and the gals are finally on the way home for Christmas!

On entering their villa, Alex says, "Gee! We never got a chance to decorate the villa!"

"Well, we did a little decorating!" responds Sam, as she takes Alex into the Living Room. There, under an electric star is an old Nativity set.

"It's beautiful! Where did you get it?" gushes Alex.

"My family had it for a number of years," responds Clover, "but we haven't put it up for awhile!" she adds with a blush of embarrassment.

"But it's SOOOOO neat!" Alex exclaims.

Clover and Sam smile, and nod in approval. Sam goes over to the stereo system, and puts on some Christmas music. The gals sit together happily on the sofa, as they listen.

At 11 AM there is a knock at the door.

"I wonder who that could be?" asks Clover.

"I'll get it!" responds Sam.

As Sam opens the door, who is standing there but Jerry in a Santa outfit followed by a number of WOOHP agents dressed as elves.

"Special delivery!" says Jerry, as Sam steps aside in astonishment, to let the group in.

"What the….?" asks an astonished Alex, as Santa and his elves enter.

"I know you didn't get a chance to do much decorating or shopping, so we have a Christmas Tree, trimmings, decorations, and dinner!" replies Jerry.

The girls are all excited! In no time, the WOOHP elves have the inside of the house decorated, and the dinner prepared for all. Prior to dinner, Jerry hands out Christmas gifts.

"You know, you girls forgot about these, when I WOOHP'd you before!" Jerry says as he hands the girls the gifts they purchase, wrapped for giving. "I sent off your gifts to your parents as well. I hope you don't mind!"

"But Jer, how did you know who was to get what?" asks a bewildered Clover.

"Well, you each had a list," Jerry adds jovially, "I just deciphered your handwriting, and I knew who got what from whom!"

Jerry then gives the girls an additional present. "These are from me!"

Excitedly the delighted spies open their gifts. They are outfits each one really wanted to get, with the matching shoes and accessories, but they needed the money for their Christmas presents to others, so they had to pass on them!

"OH, Thank You Santa Jerry!" exclaims Alex as she gives him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"I'll Second!" gushes Clover, as she does the same.

"Thanks so much, Jerry!" responds Sam, as she also does the same.

"But Jerry, how did you know we liked these outfit?" asks Sam.

"Let's just say a little G.L.A.D.I.S. told me!" Jerry responds happily.

"I think we owe G.L.A.D.I.S. a new surge protector!" remarks Clover, happily.

Then Sam pulls out an envelope for Jerry. "We didn't forget you either, Jerry!"

Jerry is surprised. It is a gift certificate at the Knifes Icon, a trendy electronic gadgets store, and Jerry's favorite place to shop.

"Why, thank you girls!" a very obviously touched Jerry responds, as he gives each a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Ah, sir?" an agent elf asks.

"Yes, Billings?"

"Dinner is served!"

"Excellent! Let's all enjoy our Christmas feast!"

With the invitation, all the WOOHP elves, Santa Jerry, and the spies go into the dining room, where a wonderful turkey and ham Christmas dinner is laid out for consumption.

Jerry presides over the dinner.

After the very delicious dinner, Jerry offers a toast of Christmas punch.

"Please everyone, fill your glasses for a toast!" All do.

"A Merry Christmas to us all!" Jerry says.

Everyone one responds, "A Merry Christmas to us all!"

And Clover and Sam add, "And God bless us, everyone!" as they look at Alex happily, giving her a hug.

"And God bless us, everyone!" they all respond with a smile.

And in the Living Room, the star above the Nativity set flickers a little brighter.


End file.
